


The Rabbit and The Fox

by Heavenly_Stellar



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - Teenagers, Awkwardness, Big Brother Gabriel, Big Brother Michael, Castiel's Terrible Family, Castiel's Tie, Catholic, First Meetings, Fluff, M/M, Sunday Sermons, Teenage Castiel/Teenage Dean Winchester, church
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-10
Updated: 2014-08-10
Packaged: 2018-02-12 14:00:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,224
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2112624
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Heavenly_Stellar/pseuds/Heavenly_Stellar
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Castiel Novak attempts to fix his tie during a Sunday sermon and ends up getting a tad bit of help from a handsome stranger</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Rabbit and The Fox

**Author's Note:**

> Hope whoever reads this, will enjoy :)
> 
> Big thanks to Destiel_5eva who beta-d this.

Castiel sat in the church, back upright against pew, head tilted to one side as he listened intently to the priest’s homily. The priest spoke about the upcoming Ash Wednesday celebration, liturgy and the meaning of it. The first day of Lent (the first day of the fasting from material things and of food) was about repentance. Castiel glanced to the person to his right; his older brother Gabriel, who blatantly chewed on a candy bar. Chocolate outlined the contours of his lips. Gabriel’s whiskey coloured eyes met Castiel’s blues. The older brother waggled his eyebrows and offered the half-eaten candy bar to Castiel. He firmly shook his head and frowned disapprovingly.

“Aw c’mon lighten up! And don’t use that look on me,” Gabriel hissed at Castiel. Then he added, “You look like Michael.” The lines by his eyes deepened in amusement.

Castiel looked furtively over his shoulder to where the eldest of the Novak family sat, eyes focused on the priest.  His hands were laced on his lap, identical to Castiel’s. The eldest Novak’s shoulders were tense and there was a deep crease between his eyebrows. Castiel quickly returned his gaze to the front of the church.

“I do not,” Castiel protested quietly to Gabriel.

Gabriel rolled his eyes and replied dramatically, “Then you’re a blind man, Castiel.”

The two brothers jumped when a vicious thump to the wooden pew jostled them from behind and they turned around to see Michael’s piercing eyes burn into them.

“Next time my aim won’t be on the chair,” Michael warned.

“Yes, Michael,” Castiel replied automatically.

“Whatever,” Gabriel huffed taking a large bite from his candy bar. Castiel was grateful as it prevented the older brother from talking to him. Castiel glanced down at his Sunday clothes and scowled at the crooked tie.

He adjusted it. It ended up backwards.

Castiel let out a disgruntled sigh, glanced up at the priest and sent him a mental apology before he tuned out and undid his tie. Gabriel raised an eyebrow at him and his cheeks bulged as he chewed. Castiel ignored him and looped the tie around his neck, tucking it under his collar and stared at the tail and blade of the tie. His mind conveniently went blank.

‘ _Something about a rabbit and a fox…_ ’ He thought. Castiel desperately searched through his memory. He wrapped the tail around the blade of the tie. Then again. He shook his head minutely at himself.

‘ _No, that cannot be right._ ’

He traced his steps back and ended up at the beginning again. Then it came to him: the blade goes around the tail, not the other way around. Castiel took a deep breath. He could do this. Castiel’s fingers worked tirelessly with the infuriating strip of navy blue silk.

‘ _The rabbit goes under the bush.... or is it the fox?’_ Castiel pondered and froze in his work.

Suddenly, a person who had been just another faceless stranger, whom sat on the far side of the left of the pew, slid over the timber and burst Castiel’s concentration.

“Okay,” came a deep, hushed voice “This has been really fun watching you wrestle with that thing but I can’t stand it any longer.”

Castiel turned his head to the stranger and stared up into bright hazel green eyes that were filled with mirth. 

“Excuse me?” he asked.

“Give me that,” The stranger’s slapped away Castiel’s hands and took a firm grip on the tie and pulled the two of them closer by it.

Castiel’s eyes widened, “Excuse me, what are you-?”

“Okay, so the rabbit goes around the tree twice, scoots under the bush, gets away…” the stranger held onto the tail of the tie and tugged at the blade “…and is safe.”

Castiel had never seen such a beautifully tied tie in his life. The stranger chuckled at the look of pure awe and wonderment on Castiel’s face. The stranger gave the tie a slight pull to tighten it and then patted Castiel’s chest none too gently. Castiel couldn’t comprehend how such nimble hands could have been so rough. It took him a moment to catch his breath again.

“Thank you,” he pushed away the urge to fiddle with the tie.

The stranger shrugged, “Nah, no problem.”

Castiel wanted to ask for his name but Michael gave him a swift flick to the back of the head and he was forced to sit through the rest of the priest’s preaches in silence. Through it all, Castiel sent the fixer-of-his-hopeless-cause quick glances.  He took in details at each time such as: the scatter of freckles over his nose and the light brown shortly cropped hair. But there were some aspects to this newcomer that baffled Castiel: the leather jacket, the scruffy boots… Castiel usually wasn’t one to judge but this person didn’t seem the type to go to church.

“Something on my face?” The stranger asked, mouth quirked upwards into a smirk.

 Castiel shook his head so quickly that he was momentarily dizzy. Castiel itched at his collar, suddenly in a state of physical discomfort and he tried to make himself as small as possible. He shrunk away from the stranger, only just realising how close he was to him and retreated back near Gabriel who was licking his fingers.

“What’s got you all hot and bothered?” Gabriel whispered, eyes glinting.

“Nothing,” Castiel said firmly.

Once the service was over and the people who filled the church rose to their feet with a loud groan from several sets of bench legs scraping against the floor. Castiel rubbed at his back to appease the ache and determinedly kept his eyes trained on Gabriel as they filed quickly out of the church, respectfully silent. A hand gripped on to his shoulder and Castiel’s heart missed a beat. He paused and turned around cautiously and found himself almost nose-to-nose with the young man who had fixed his tie.

“Gee,” the stranger breathed out deeply and took a civil step backwards, “You’re fast for such a nerdy-looking guy.”

Castiel scowled at the labelling and opened his mouth to express his discomfort about being called 'nerdy-looking' when Michael tapped him on the shoulder forcefully. Castiel snapped his mouth shut and turned to his brother with a questioning tilt to his head.

“Castiel, hurry up,” The eldest urged him as he took a hold of Castiel’s suit jacket sleeve, “Father has already started the car.”

“Yes, Michael.” Castiel mumbled and pulled out of his grip.

Castiel sent the stranger one last glance over his shoulder then hurried to keep up with Michael.

“Wait!” The stranger’s deep, slightly alluring voice called out.

The sound echoed through the church, being the loudest noise there and people turned their heads to stare. Castiel stopped once again and turned, he felt a pang of sympathy when he saw a woman turn her nose up at the ripped jeans and grimy work boots. The stranger flinched and his cheeks tinted red at the amount of attention he had received but slapped on a cocky smile.

“Dean,” The stranger held out a hand for Castiel to shake, “Dean Winchester.”

Castiel hesitated only for a moment before he took Dean’s hand, “Castiel Novak.”

“Nice to meet you, Cas,” Dean grinned.

“Likewise,” Castiel felt heat rise to his cheeks at the nickname and smiled in return. 

 

 

 


End file.
